O Rex Gentium~King of the Nations

~~~ 1 Samuel 1:24-28 ~~~

~~~ (Psalm) 1 SAMUEL 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8ABCD ~~~

~~~ Luke 1:46-56 ~~~

 O Rex Gentium 

(O King of the nations)

O King of all the nations, 

the only joy of every human heart;

O Keystone of the mighty arch of man:

Come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.

My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

Hannah prays from the life of joy. 

She has given birth to a son, Samuel. 

She is obedient to God's plan.

Just as Elizabeth and Mary give birth to sons

according to the God's plan.

All three women filled with life 

sustaining fulfilling joy.

For us too; when we comply to the will of God

there is joy in our heart.

To allow God to form us into his design

means that we accept him as the King of our heart.

The O Antiphon reminds us that we were created from dust.

Jesus comes to save us; we will return to dust.

Mary said:

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

for he has looked upon his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.

Mary's prayer, that we know as the Magnificat,

echoes the joyful prayer of Hannah.

Mary knew the scriptures she was familiar

 with the story of Hannah and Samuel.

I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD. 

I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. 

Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;

as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”

She left Samuel there.

The scriptures tell us to make our requests known to the Lord;

just be sure you are ready to accept his answer.

The Lord answers all of our prayers.

Be vigilant. Wait patiently.

The answers come in God's time.

May the Blessings of the Lord

cause your heart to leap for joy.

The Lord is very near to us.

~~~Peace~~~

JOY

to the World!

Just Show Up

~~~Second Sunday of Ordinary Time~~~

~~~1 Samuel 3:3B-10, 19~~~Psalm 40~~~

~~~1 Corinthians 6:13C-15A, 17-20~~~John 1:35-42~~~

Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

As it is still early in the new year it is fitting
 that we be reminded
through young Samuel
to renew our personal commitment to the Lord.

As the weeks and months go by we tend to be less and less
 enthusiastic about our desire to make changes in our life.

Not only does Samuel acknowledge the voice of God
 he tells God he is listening.

“Speak, for your servant is listening.”

If we do not open our ears to hear
and listen to God how can we possibly do his will?

God not only blessed Samuel he put a song into his heart.
This song of love was God with Samuel.
This song of love came to life in every word he spoke.

Samuel truly became one Spirit with the Lord.

Do you not know that your body
is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you,
whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Samuel did not need to understand the theology of God
dwelling within our body.

He only needed to allow God to lead his life,
which he did as we see in the book of Samuel.

God just wants us to show up and he will do the rest.
He will place the question in our hearts...
What are you looking for?
He will invite us to simply Come and See/

How many times have you called out to someone
to Come and See?

Perhaps it was a beautiful sunset,
 a hummingbird feeding at your window,
a spider spinning her web, a blooming rose,
or the first tomato on the bush.

We are excited to share
these moments with our loved ones.
Imagine how much Jesus wants to share his
exciting things with you.

God invites us to Come and See.
It is with him that we will find what we are looking for.

Come and See how he Blesses you.
Peace.

A Mother's Heart

~~~ 1 Samuel 1:24-28 ~~~ 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8ABCD ~~~ 

~~~ Luke 1:46-56 ~~~

Hannah prayed for a child.

God blessed her with a son, Samuel.

Out of gratitude for Samuel she presented him in the temple.

She dedicated him back to the Lord and left him there.

I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. 

Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;

as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”

She left Samuel there.

This must have been a great sacrifice

 for Hannah;

to give up her son.

It must have been equally 

as difficult for young Samuel to understand.

Why would his mother leave him in the temple?

The Gospel brings us to Mary as she visits with Elizabeth.

A young expectant mother with an aging expectant mother...both 

equally in awe of the power of God.

These three mothers receive the grace to bear their sons

 to fulfill the word of the Lord.

Samuel served Eli faithfully for many years to come.

John served God until his beheading,

 ordered by Herod.

Jesus serves all who come to him to be saved.

Jesus came to die for those whom his father loved.

Three mothers whose sons accomplished great 

things under the direction of God.

We may not be asked to dedicate our son to the Lord,

but we are asked to make sacrifices for God.

We are asked to dedicate ourselves to back to the Lord

 in thanksgiving for his wondrous deeds.

Hannah and Mary express their prayer using similar words...

Hannah prays...

My heart exults in the Lord, my Savior.

Mary prays...

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord...

The time is now for us to align our prayer with these holy women.

How has God manifest wonders for you this Advent?

What causes your heart and soul to proclaim his greatness?

The Blessings of the Lord

come to us so that we too may exult in the Lord.

Come, Jesus, Come!

Keeping the Sabbath

~~~ Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr ~~~

~~~1 Samuel 16:1-13 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ Mark 2:23-28 ~~~ 

...the LORD looks into the heart...

The Lord sent Samuel to the house of Jesse;

where he will find the one whom God has chosen to be King.

God does not consider the physical appearance or the spoken words;

rather the Lord sees into the depths of one's heart.

Your words and actions can be tailored to fit the occasion.

but the heart remains steadfast.

It is much more difficult to change your heart.

The journey was long the food was scarce,
but the disciples were hungry.

It was the Sabbath...no work was allowed.

It was set aside as a day of rest.

This may have been a matter of interpretation of the law,

the disciples did indeed pluck and consume the grain from the stalks.

Was that work? Were they just hungry?

Did they really take nothing for the journey?

Jesus consistently places compassion above the law .

So what do you think?

Were they breaking the law?

Would you be willing to break the law 

when presented with a situation of compassion?
God sees into your heart. 

Blessings as we walk through the fields today.
Peace.

God and the Oily Head

~~~ 1 Samuel 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1 ~~ Psalm 21 ~~~ Mark 2:13-17 ~~~

A funny thing happened on the way to look for the lost asses.
Saul meets Samuel and becomes the King...what a strange turn of events.
God's plan is never dull and always filled with surprise.

Then, from a flask he had with him, Samuel poured oil on Saul’s head;
he also kissed him, saying:
“The LORD anoints you commander over his heritage.
You are to govern the LORD’s people Israel...

Saul really has few characteristics of a king...
he is hardly 'qualified' for the job.
But Samuel and God agree to give the people what they want...
a King.
Samuel tells Saul...
“This will be the sign for you
that the LORD has anointed you commander over his heritage.”

To anoint means to rub or smear with oil.

Samuel poured oil over the head of Saul...he set him apart.

In the Bible oil is the physical representation of a spiritual reality.

Saul was now set apart for God's purpose.

God orchestrated the setting in which they were to meet.

I believe God sets up things between people today

 in much the same way.

Think for a moment when you had a chance meeting 

with a strange that turned into something special

Things may appear random to us when in reality
 it is all part of God's plan for us.

Every person you meet either has something to share with you
or needs something you can share.

It is a mutual beneficial meeting seemingly to be random.

It happened to me just last month...
I had a chance meeting with a woman at tea on a cruise ship.
We began to share and talk as you at a first meeting.

Making a long story short she shared with me her personal
small way of reaching out to strangers,
which I implemented upon my return home.

Samuel anoints Saul consecrating him as a holy person for God.
As Samuel is pouring the oil over Saul's head
he is imparting the Holy Spirit to be upon Saul.

This anointing prepares Saul to be in God's service.

Saul has now been chosen to serve the Lord...
from that day froward he was a changed man.

In the Gospel reading today we another unlikely candidate
called into the service of the Lord by Jesus himself.
Jesus walks by the tax collector's table
and calls Levi, the tax collector to come follow him.

God has plans to bless us in ways we do not seem prepared for...
it is a regular occurrence in the Bible;
so why not today?
The oil of anointing is imbued with the Lord's Joy.
Peace.

Is Jesus Your King?

Memorial of Saint Anthony

~~~ 1 Samuel 8:4-7, 10-22a ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~  Mark 2:1-12 ~~~

Be careful what you ask for....
The people came to Samuel asking him to appoint a king.
They wanted to be like every other nation.
They erroneously believed that having a king would solve their problems.

Have you ever wanted something so intently;
only later to discover it was not what you should have gotten?

Samuel tried to paint the most awful picture for the people
about how their lives would be worse if he granted their request.
The rights of the king
 who will rule you will be as follows...

No matter what Samuel said they continued to insist on having a king.

We too must be like other nations,
with a king to rule us and to lead us in warfare
and fight our battles. 
There are good kings and there are bad kings.
Just as today we have good elected officials and bad officials.
Samuel had wisdom in trying to get the people to see that any person
 that he would choose to be king was not going to be a good kind of king....
rather this individual would turn out to be a typical king of that time.

A king who would mistreat his subjects, take advantage of their women,
put them to work for him plowing and harvesting.
They ultimately would not be happy.

On the other hand we have the picture of what a good king should look like.
A good king would look out for the well being of his subjects.
A good king would heal and protect.

A good king would forgive those who sinned against him.
A good king would teach the people
 and treat them with fairness and compassion.

A good king like Jesus would care about his people.
A good king like Jesus would rule with authority from God the Father.

But that you may know
that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth

Jesus was the good king that dwelt and walked among the common people.
When he was finally given the title of 'king'
they mocked him, spit upon him, and crowned him with thorns.

When the paralytic was healed by Jesus
 in body and spirit he picked up his mat and walked away.
All the people were amazed and glorified him.
Those kings before Jesus never treated anyone
 the way Jesus treated those who came
 to him or those who were brought to him.

So the question is what kind of king do you want?
The harsh brutal heavy handed one or
the kind fair forgiving compassionate one.

We remain astounded for the blessings God has given to us.
Thank God for your blessings today.
Jesus is the eternal compassionate King...the fair ruler...the healer
the one to be praised and adored forevermore. 

Mistaken Identity

~~~ 1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20 ~~~ Psalm 40 ~~~ Mark 1:29-39 ~~~

Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

Young Samuel was sleeping close to the Lord in the Ark of the Covenant.
The closer you bring yourself to the Lord
the more likely you are to hear his voice.
God spoke to Samuel in a dream, but the boy was confused.
He was experiencing mistaken identity.
He thought it was the voice of Eli calling him when in fact it was the Lord.

Eli, being a holy man, eventually directed Samuel
 to identify the voice of the Lord.
It is not surprising that Samuel would listen for the voice
of Eli even while sleeping.
He was Eli's devoted servant. Eli was his elder...his teacher.
Samuel had much love and admiration for Eli.
Eli was the mentor, Samuel the apprentice.

Jesus quietly slips away before dawn to pray.
He separates himself to get recharged with the Spirit.
He has been walking, touching, healing, and forgiving all day every day.

“Everyone is looking for you.”

In his slumber Samuel was not looking for the Lord,
but the Lord sought out this young man.

Imagine if everyone was looking for you?
This reminds me of another time in the scriptures where
everyone is looking for Jesus.
The first time he slips away on his own
 and goes to the temple to preach.
Mary and Joseph have no idea where he has gone.
They are frantically looking for their young son.
Eventually he is found in his Father's house where he belongs.

This time the disciples do not know that Jesus
has withdrawn to pray alone.

Jesus is very independent; he does not have
servants that tend to his daily needs.
He has, however, surrounded himself with a few men
who are willing to take a chance and follow him.

Eli has Samuel as his closest companion.
Through Hannah's prayers and through the wisdom
 and guidance of Eli
Samuel grows up in the grace of God.
God sees a potential in Samuel to accomplish
great things later in his life.

God sees potential in you too.
Are you willing to explore your future with him?
Will you respond...here I am, Lord?
Look inside for there your true identity
 is being blessed by God.
Peace.

Answered Prayers

~~1 Samuel 1:9-20~~(Psalm) 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd ~~Mark 1:21-28~~

 Hannah was praying silently;
though her lips were moving, her voice could not be heard.

Fervently Hannah prayed for a child, not just any child but a son.

She spoke the words from her heart.

Her voice was silent, but her lips were carefully 

forming each word.

God listens and God answers even when we 

cannot hear our own voice.

God does not need to hear our spoken words in order 

to hear our prayer requests.

Eli said, “Go in peace,
and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

Eli loved Hannah even though she had been barren for years.

He respected and honored her longing to bear him a child.

He blessed her prayers. He joined with her desire

 that God would hear her prayer.

He wanted her to be at peace with her prayer.

He wanted her to believe that God was indeed listening to her heart.

Sometimes what we long for within our soul

 is more powerful than any prayerful words could ever be.

How has God answered your prayers?

...for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

A new teaching with authority.

Jesus taught in the Temple with the authority 

bestowed on him by the Father and the power of the Spirit.

He taught from the source. A 'new teaching' indeed.

He spoke with pure goodness, holiness.

He spoke from the heart from his core.

The evil spirits could not ignore his searing words,

even though he was not speaking directly to them.

They felt compelled to exit their host, whom they had been

 tormenting for some time.

His words literally put the fear of God in them.

They wanted to escape...to run and hide.

The unclean spirits could not get out 

of their host being soon enough.

Prayers were answered for a man who came to listen

 to the teaching of Jesus.

The man himself made no request to be freed

 from the unclean spirits.

Jesus heard his prayer of silent desire.

It is not always necessary to use words when we pray.

May God answer those prayers in the silence of your heart...

those unspoken prayers...those prayers which have no adequate words.

God Blesses us with answers to prayers

 we have yet to pray.

He answers with what he knows is best for us.

Hannah received her son, Samuel.

God heard her solemn prayer.

The man was cleansed of the unclean spirit.

God heard the prayer he had not yet spoken.

Dedicated to the Lord

~~ 1Samuel 1:24-28 ~~~ 1Samuel 2 ~~~ Luke 1:46-56 ~~~

 

I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD."
She left Samuel there.

 

A faithful mother gives her child back to God.

Hannah returns the gift of her son Samuel dedicating him to the Lord.

Samuel did indeed grow up to serve the well.

It is interesting that this story of Samuel is paired with

Luke's gospel of Mary's proclamation...

"...My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name..."

 

 

 

Mary was herself dedicated to the Lord.

The Holy Spirit overshadowed her with the

greatest blessing of all.

 

Mary was not only dedicated herself to the Lord;

she carried and subsequently birthed the Lord himself.

 

Mary did much more than Hannah;

Mary gave her only son to all of us.

Mary gave her son back to the Father.

Mary was instrumental in developing Jesus into

 the person who wanted only to do the will of the Father.

 

Mary cooperated with the will of God every day of her life.

Mary never again doubted after the angel's visit.

Mary knew in her heart that she could not keep her son

for herself.

 

Mary made a sacrifice by allowing Jesus to go out

'on the road' to do the will of his heavenly Father.

She would have been quite happy to have him stay

around the house a few more years.

 

Mary knew he had to be about his Father's business

as early as possible.

Mary mastered loving Jesus from a distance.

She supported him with her pure love.

 

Now is a good time to consider how you have dedicated

yourself to the Lord.

Is God Present to You?

2 Samuel 12b-15, 17-19

We continue to be steeped in the Books of Samuel. There is much here we can harvest for reflection. When I first read today's reading I was not sure what I would write about. As I sat with this reading a while longer I was struck by some parallels to Palm Sunday. Yes I see a connection between the celebration in the City of David as he enters with the Ark of the Covenant and the entry of Jesus into the city on Palm Sunday. Both are surrounded with joyous celebration.

The Ark of the Covenant was only a container, but it held within things important and meaningful for the people of David. The Ark was carried by several servants high up on their shoulders. As they traveled all knew and could see that the Ark was with them. It was an outward sign of the presence of God. If God was with them they had a certain sense of confidence. 

There are many other references to the Ark in the Old Testament. God instructed Moses to build the Ark. The book of Exodus is filled with all the details about building the Ark, the dimensions as well as the materials to be used.(Ex. 25) This was a special structure that was to be with them as they went on their journeys. This gold laden box was believed to have powers so strong that they even carried it with them into battle. This Ark allowed them to have safe passage across the Jordan River.

Throughout the Bible the Ark has been reverenced, stolen, fought over, and ultimately lost. It's mysterious whereabouts has been part of myths and legends ever since. Remember the Indiana Jones movie? I am sure you do. Today people are still searching for the Ark.

The point is...the Ark was very important!

Three important things resided in the Ark:

1. The 10 commandment tablets given to Moses (laws), Exodus 25: 21-22
2. The reserved manna given to them by God (food)Exodus 16: 32-33
3. The budding rod of Aaron marking him as priestly.(symbol) Numbers 17: 16-26 

The Ark was always placed in the center of the camp where the glory cloud could be easily seen hovering above the mercy seat.

This is really fascinating, but back to the parallel with Palm Sunday. Right before the Passion we have this glorious entrance of Jesus into the city. There is singing and dancing. Everyone is celebrating; the holy one, the teacher, the healer is entering. Jesus is the ultimate container.

He holds within his person the salvation for all of humanity. He is carried upon a lowly humble donkey; unlike the golden Ark. He gives us his very own body and blood for the nourishment not of our bodies, but of our souls. He is the food for the journey leading us into eternity. Jesus comes not to abolish the old law, (Matt 5:17)  but to fulfill the new law. He gives us the greatest commandment... Love. Jesus is more than the bud on the rod of Aaron. Jesus dies and then rises from the dead. Jesus is the essence of Life itself.

While people still search for Jesus today.

We believe he is with us until the end of time.

(Matthew 28:20)

Original image: the 'Eye of God' taken through the Hubble telescope.

I chose this Kaleidoscope image because the presence of God in my life is sometimes bold andbrilliant; as well as hidden and obscure at times.

But he is always present.

Beloved and Cherished

Samuel, the one who anointed Saul and David, is now dead. To escape Saul's insanity David flees to the land of the Philistines in refuge. Saul pursues David...visits a soothsayer...and learns of his fate  and of his son Jonathan's as the spirit of Samuel reveals it to him.  The sad story continues like a tragic series of falling dominoes until finally Saul and Jonathan are both killed.

David is now in mourning over the death of Saul and his son. David composes a beautiful elegy for them which he sings. Music brought comfort to Saul when David first came into his service. Now David sins to bring comfort to himself, "...Alas!...how can the warriors have fallen!"

It is striking that in spite of all the times Saul came after David he was still able to hold in his heart affection for him. "Saul and Jonathan, beloved and cherished...", verse 23.

Beloved and Cherished

Beloved and cherished are two of the most beautiful words to me. God calls Jesus his beloved son only twice; once at his baptism and again at the transfiguration. Beloved is a special term of endearment; it means dearly loved. How could David continue to think of Saul as beloved? This is some example of loving your enemies. We have difficulty loving those who reject us for whatever reason, but Saul was activiely trying to kill David.

It is unbelievable to me when a victim of a terrible crime can reach out to the person who harmed them. Without saying the words of forgiveness their actions speak for themselves. The Amish community come to mind first. After the murder of so many in their community. They did not want to harbor hatred in their hearts.

David shows forgiveness to Saul through this beautiful musical tribute. David had several opportunities to kill Saul and each time he turned and removed himself from the  situation.

David can inspire us to walk away from our enemies. David can inspire us to think differently about our enemies. I am not trying to pretend David was perfect because we know he has his flaws as well.

As a woman I want to feel cherished. Cherish means to hold dearly, to treat with affection and tenderness. When you cherish someone like a family member you can overlook all sorts of hurts.

Who do you cherish most in your life? Is it your spouse? Your children or grandchildren? Your friends? Some even cherish their home land.

For years songs have been written about the word Cherish. Kool and the Gang had a very popular song titled Cherish, before that the Association and more recently Madonna.

Beloved and Cherished together are the pillars of a lasting relationship. In David's case even if the person wants you dead.



Cherish Moments...Cherish Living

Original photo of a single white daisy.

This kaleidoscope image captures the pure beauty of being cherished and beloved.

                 

Psalm 40 "Here am I , Lord; I come to do your will."

The perfect psalm to complement today's scripture from the first book of Samuel. For the second time since returning to ordinary time we have the familiar story of young Samuel and Eli.

Sleeping...waking

Listening...answering

Wise...novice

This scripture reminds us once again that God is persistent and patient. He keeps waking Samuel until finally Eli, in his wisdom, understands who is really calling Samuel.

Sometimes we all can benefit from a mentor or a spiritual director. Someone who perhaps is more intuned to the voice of God. Someone who can say to you, "Have you considered that God could be calling you?"

It is not enough to recognize the voice of the Lord. Your response is the important part. Samuel answers, "Speak, for you servant is listening." Samuel has no idea what the Lord has in mind for him.

It can be scary to allow the Lord to guide your life. Sometimes he leads you to places you would rather not go. Sometimes we choose to ignore the voice of the Lord even after we have heard.

That brings me back to psalm 40...I come to do your will. As Jesus goes about calling his apostles each in their own way proclaimed psalm 40...they got up and followed Jesus.

When you hear the voice of the Lord the least you can do is show up....

"Come, and you will see." John 1:39

This kaleidoscope image captures the spirit of hearing the voice of the Lord.

If you Come and See you will live in a better place.

The Light of Christ will fill your soul.



The Listening Servant

Okay I have a confession to make....I am addicted to the Internet. I was not able to post yesterday due to our modem ceasing to work.

The scripture for yesterday was the beautiful story of young Samuel. So Hannah was indeed blessed with a son...Samuel. It seems she made sure to keep her promise to God and arranged for Samuel to reside in the temple with Eli. How convenient when you have promised to give your child back to God.

Samuel in his youth is unfamiliar with the voice of the Lord. While he is sleeping he mistakenly thinks that Eli is calling him. He has gotten used to being called by Eli. Eli is his teacher, Eli is his mentor in the ways of God.

God is patient with the young boy and calls him not once, but three times. God is often persistent when he calls us too. Through the wisdom and guidance of Eli Samuel answers the Lord with a most profound response.  "Speak Lord for your servant is listening." Those words are so meaningful to me. Whenever I am faced with discerning a choice in my life this short verse comes to mind.

Part of praying is being able to humbly and sincerely speak those same words to the Lord. Once I have committed to listening to the Lord the whole game changes and I become God's instrument. I accept his invitation to "Come follow me". Sometimes listening to the Lord can be challenging, because sometimes he calls you where you do not want to go. Other times I have been listening and God is silent. When God is silent I sometimes get frustrated and confused about where he wants me. It is hard to wait.

I pray that you may recognize the voice of the Lord in your life and that you will respond appropriately. The Lord used Eli to alert Samuel to the voice of God and God can also use people in your life in the same fashion...to help you discern the voice of the Lord.

When you listen to the Lord you are filled with the brilliance of Love.

This image was captured from a glass candle holder etched with the letters

L O V E.